It is becoming clear that the purpose of the September 11 terrorist attacks was not so much to kill thousands of Americans as to shatter the very foundations of American society by permanently subjecting it to the threat of relentless terrorism. Far more injurious in the long term than the acts of terrorism that people … Read more

The U.S. government has been very careful to tell the world that the air strikes on Afghanistan are directed not on the Afghan nation itself but on a band of international terrorists led by Osama bin Laden and the tyrannical regime of the Taliban that shelters them.  Neither is this a war against Islam, America … Read more

Listening to Senator Panfilo Lacson’s expose of the alleged misuse of sweepstakes funds to subsidize the campaign of administration candidates in the last elections gives one the sick feeling that we’re back in the familiar track of Philippine political life.  The awesome events of this world are occurring elsewhere, while we seem fixated with the … Read more

The suicide hijackers’ ultimate dream may yet come true if and when America bombs Afghanistan.  Young warriors from all over the Islamic world will reverse their own governments’ involvement in the U.S.-led coalition, and join the international brigade that will defend the Arab homeland from “infidels.”  The result will be precisely the self-fulfillment of the … Read more

It is the most supreme of ironies – the world’s lone superpower, armed with the most sophisticated weapons, feels besieged by an enemy who lives and works in complete anonymity in middle class America, ready to attack and die at a signal.  His methods are modern, his beliefs medieval. For the longest time, Americans have … Read more

The civilized world is in shock over the magnitude and brazenness of last Tuesday’s suicidal terrorist attacks against the United States of America.  Nothing can justify the commission of atrocities of such a scale against innocent civilians in modern times.  The act is unspeakable in its cruelty and barbarism. That’s the way we look at … Read more

If Descartes were Singaporean, it would be enough for him to shop to confirm that he exists.  There is probably no country in the world that has more shops per person than this Southeast Asian city-state, a reality that has prompted one prominent Indian architect to liken Singapore to “one gigantic shopping bag.” I stopped … Read more

Seven Asians are this year’s recipients of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Awards.  The awardees are being recognized for their greatness of spirit and outstanding service to others.  None of them is a Filipino.  Some observers have taken this as a commentary on the scarcity of greatness in our present society. The concern about not seeing … Read more

People lose faith in their institutions first, when those in charge of them exploit them for their personal benefit, and second, when they do not produce definite and useful results. Institutions are the established means by which a society conducts and regulates its collective affairs.  When they fail to do their work, people feel justified … Read more

At one point in the Senate hearing on the alleged money-laundering and criminal activities of Senator Panfilo Lacson, Colonel Victor Corpus, head of the military intelligence unit and Lacson’s chief accuser, found himself being accused instead of undermining our society’s institutions.  The senators pinned him down on his statement that judges, media people, and public … Read more